‘O'Hare Flyer:' Private group aims to build new, electric express train from Loop to airport

Imagine getting from downtown to Chicago’s busy O’Hare Airport by train in just 15 minutes. A new plan for a “whisper-quiet” electric express train called the “O’Hare Flyer” aims to do just that.

The plan, developed by a group of Chicago business and civic leaders, would create the “first airport express train in the U.S.,” an announcement said, with the O’Hare Flyer set to give travelers a 15-minute ride from The Loop to Terminal 2 at the airport.

According to the group, the train would provide concierge-level service, comfortable seats and luggage racks, and run every 15 minutes. It would run on continuous rail, the group said, recharging at its planned station near the Old Post Office.

“This is a first-of-its-kind express train in the U.S. and will give Chicago a safe, reliable, world-class rider experience on a fast, whisper-quiet battery-electric train,” O’Hare Flyer Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dave Lundy said in the announcement.

O’Hare Flyer Founder and Chief Engineering Officer Mark Walbrun said the train would have dedicated express rail service by combining three existing but underused freight rights-of-way: CSX, Canadian National (CN) and Union Pacific (UP).

The project is a private endeavor, the announcement said, and the group is not seeking funding or government subsidies.

“For decades, Chicago’s economic and political leaders have dreamt about a fast connection between O’Hare and Downtown because it is economic development rocket fuel,” O’Hare Flyer co-founder Kristi Lafleur said in the announcement. “This quiet, pollution-free electric train will attract visitors and more businesses to downtown and the region. It is also important and noteworthy that it will be led by and for Chicagoans.”

The group’s objective is to launch the project within the next five years. According to the announcement, the O’Hare Flyer team is in the process of meeting with public officials, business, finance, government, and community groups, with more outreach planned.

NBC Chicago reached out to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and the Chicago Department of Aviation for comment on this story.